How to Use Personalization to Improve Your Email Marketing Results
Guest Post by Janella Malapad
Let’s say you've just launched an email campaign. You've spent countless hours crafting the perfect message, designing an eye-catching layout, and compiling your email list.
But despite your efforts, your unsubscribe rates are soaring, your reply rates are dismal, and your open and click-through rates are nothing to write home about.
Worse still, your campaign isn't translating into the higher bottom line you expected.
Sounds familiar? If so, it might be time to reconsider your email writing strategies and time to incorporate personalization into your campaigns.
What is Email Personalization?
Email personalization is the practice of tailoring your emails to meet the specific needs and preferences of each recipient.
It's about making your subscribers feel valued and understood rather than just another name on your email list.
As renowned marketer Seth Godin once said, "Personalization wasn't a clever option. It was the only option."
Is Email Still Relevant?
In an era of social media and instant messaging, you might be wondering if email is still relevant. The answer is a resounding yes.
According to Statista, the number of global email users is expected to reach 4.6 billion by 2025.
Moreover, a study by Campaign Monitor found that every $1 spent on email marketing generates $38 in return.
Email is still a powerful tool no matter your industry, niche, and audience base. As long as you understand your customer and you use the perfect messaging, email can still generate you long-term results.
Benefits of Personalizing Emails
Personalizing bulk emails might take some effort and time. But like all content marketing strategies, it’s worth the investment.
Doing so can yield a multitude of benefits. Let's delve deeper into each of these benefits:
1. Increased Open Rates
Personalized emails have been shown to have 26% higher open rates compared to generic ones, according to Experian.
This is because personalized emails are more likely to catch the recipient's attention and spark their interest.
When an email feels like it was specifically designed for the recipient, they are more likely to want to see what's inside.
This can lead to a significant increase in open rates, which is the first step towards achieving your email marketing goals, whether that's increasing sales, driving traffic to your website, or boosting engagement with your brand.
2. Enhanced Click-Through Rates
Emails with personalized subject lines are 50% more likely to be clicked, according to Yes Lifecycle Marketing.
And according to Experian’s same study, personalized emails have a 41% higher click-through rate.
Getting more clicks is super important. After all, you don't want to spend all that time and energy crafting the perfect email just for it to be ignored.
So, it's a no-brainer to spice up your subject line.
Adding a personal touch, like using the recipient's name or mentioning their business, can really make a difference.
It's like giving your email a little extra charm to grab attention and get those all-important clicks.
3. Improved Conversion Rates
Personalized emails can deliver 26% higher conversion rates, says Experian.
This is because personalized emails are more likely to resonate with the recipient and meet their specific needs and interests.
For example, if you send a personalized email with product recommendations based on the recipient's browsing behavior or purchase history, they are more likely to find something they like and make a purchase.
This can lead to a significant increase in conversion rates, which directly impacts your bottom line.
4. Reduced Unsubscribe Rates
Unsubscribes can be a major issue in email marketing, as they reduce the size of your audience and limit your potential for sales and engagement.
However, personalizing your emails can help to reduce unsubscribe rates by making your emails more relevant and valuable to the recipient.
When your emails consistently meet the recipient's needs and interests, they are less likely to want to unsubscribe.
Best Ways to Personalize Email
Personalizing emails is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
You need a sharp understanding of your audience, a clear identification of your business goals, and a thoughtful application of personalization techniques.
So, before we delve into the specifics, let's ensure we have a solid foundation for your email personalization strategy.
1. Set a Goal
Before you start personalizing your emails, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve.
Is your main goal to drive more sales? Do you want to boost customer engagement, or perhaps you want to reduce customer churn?
By setting a clear goal, you can craft your personalization strategy to directly support this aim.
For example, if your goal is to boost sales, you might personalize your emails with product recommendations based on past purchases.
If you're aiming to reduce customer churn, you might send personalized offers or incentives to re-engage customers who haven't made a purchase in a while.
2. Collect Customer Data
The key to effective email personalization is knowing your customers.
The more data you have about your subscribers, the better you can tailor your emails to meet their needs and interests.
There are many ways to collect customer data. Surveys can provide valuable insights into your customers' preferences and opinions.
Social media can reveal your customers' interests, hobbies, and the type of content they engage with.
Website analytics can provide data on browsing behavior, such as which pages a customer visited and how much time they spent on your site.
By combining these data sources, you can build a comprehensive picture of your customers and use this to inform your email personalization strategy.
Additionally, you can generate a dynamic QR code that links directly to personalized content, allowing you to seamlessly connect offline and online experiences for your customers.
3. Segment Email List
Segmenting your email list is a powerful way to increase the relevance of your emails.
Instead of sending the same email to all your subscribers, you can divide your email list into smaller groups based on specific criteria.
This can be demographics (like age or location), purchase history (such as previous purchases or average spend), and behavior (for example, how often they visit your site or which products they view).
By sending more targeted emails to each segment, you're more likely to send content that resonates with the recipient, resulting in more open and click-through rates, and ultimately, more conversions.
Not to mention, it’s super convenient than sending a bunch of random emails together.
Tips to Improve Personalized Emails
Now that the groundwork for your personalized email campaigns is set, it's time to focus on the specifics.
This involves fine-tuning everything from the subject line to the body content and even the call-to-action.
The aim is to make each email feel unique to its recipient, thus driving engagement and conversions.
So, let's dive into some key strategies to enhance your email personalization:
1. Personalize the Subject Line
Personalizing the subject line is about creating a connection with the recipient.
It's not just about using their name but also about referencing their past interactions or their interests.
For example, if you know the recipient has recently been browsing a particular product category, you could use this information to create a subject line like "John, we think you'll love these new products in [product category]!"
This creates a sense of anticipation and personal relevance that can significantly increase open rates.
2. Use a Personalized Sender Name
Using a real person's name in the sender field can help build a relationship with the recipient.
It makes the email feel more like a personal message and less like a corporate communication.
Some businesses even use different sender names for different types of emails, such as using the name of the customer service representative for support emails or the name of the sales representative for sales emails.
3. Spice Up The Email Copy With Personal Touches
Personalizing the email copy is about making the recipient feel like the email was written just for them.
This could involve referencing their past interactions with your brand, their interests, or even their location.
For example, if you know the recipient is a fan of a particular sports team, you could mention the team's recent performance in the email copy.
Or if you know they're a small business owner who recently used a logo maker to design their brand logo, you could include tips on how to incorporate their new logo into their email marketing strategy.
4. Personalize Abandoned Cart Emails
Abandoned cart emails are a great opportunity to remind customers of what they left behind and to encourage them to complete their purchases.
You could personalize these emails by including images of the abandoned items, offering a special discount, or suggesting similar items they might like.
5. Send Personalized Offers
Personalized offers can be highly effective in driving conversions.
These could be based on the recipient's purchase history, their browsing behavior, or their demographic information.
For example, if you know the recipient frequently purchases a particular type of product, you could send them a special offer for that product category.
6. Leverage Buying History
The purchasing history of a customer can serve as a rich source of data, painting a clear picture of their preferences, tastes, and purchasing habits.
Harnessing this information can lead to highly personalized emails that offer bespoke product recommendations, discounts on frequently purchased items, or alerts when a preferred item is back in stock or on sale.
This form of personalization can make customers feel understood and valued, leading to increased loyalty and repeat purchases.
7. Customize Sender Name and Email
The name and email address in the 'From' field of your email can greatly impact how the recipient perceives your message.
Sending emails from a personalized email address, such as "john@company.com", as opposed to a generic "info@company.com", can make the message feel more personal and trustworthy.
It gives the impression of a one-on-one conversation with a real person from the company, adding a human touch that can make the recipient more receptive to your message.
8. Provide Recommendations
Personalized recommendations are a potent tool to boost engagement and sales.
By analyzing a recipient's browsing behavior, purchase history, or expressed interests, you can tailor your recommendations to each individual.
For instance, if a recipient frequently browses the 'outdoor gear' category on your website, you can send them an email featuring top-rated outdoor equipment or new arrivals in that category.
This level of personalization shows that you understand their needs and interests, encouraging them to engage with your email and ultimately make a purchase.
9. Create Customized Landing Pages
Consistency in personalization is key. Therefore, when a recipient clicks on a link in your email, they should land on a page that maintains the same level of personalization as the email itself.
This could mean displaying personalized product recommendations, using a personalized greeting, or showing content tailored to their interests and past behavior.
For instance, if a recipient has shown interest in logo design in the past, the landing page could feature articles or tips about effective logo design.
This continuity can improve the user experience, increase the time spent on your website, and enhance the chances of conversion.
Final Thoughts
Email personalization is not just a marketing buzzword. It's a powerful strategy that can significantly improve your email marketing results.
By understanding your audience, setting clear goals, and implementing the tips outlined in this article, you can create personalized emails that resonate with your subscribers and drive your bottom line.
So, start personalizing your emails today and watch your email marketing results soar.
After all, in the words of Dale Carnegie, "A person's name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language."
Make your subscribers feel special and valued with personalized emails, and they'll reward you with their loyalty and business.
Remember, the key to successful email personalization is to always keep your subscribers at the heart of your strategy.
Understand their needs, preferences, and behaviors, and use this information to deliver emails that truly resonate with them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janella Malapad is an outreach specialist at DesignCrowd. She spends her free time playing volleyball on the court, carrying enthusiasm, and embracing the love of the sport when she's not lost in the captivating landscapes of poetry.